Press Releases
The Little Show That Could (May 2004)
Mount Airy, NC – Everyone’s heard the story of the little engine that could. But did you know that starting in June 2004, the little television series that could – SIMPLE LIVING WITH WANDA URBANSKA – will be available to PBS stations nationwide? SIMPLE LIVING WITH WANDA URBANSKA – a series of 30-minutes lifestyle programs teaching environmental stewardship, thoughtful consumption, community involvement, and financial responsibility – got off the ground by a number of civic, business and community leaders in this small town of 8,484 believing in the “simple-living” vision and putting their money where their mouths were.
Since the project was launched in April 2000, more than $470,000 has been raised-including over $167,000 in primarily local money from 150 donors for the initial “research and development” phase of the project. “People in Mount Airy are excited about a PBS series originating here,” said Burke Robertson, 2004 Chairman of the Greater Mount Airy Chamber of Commerce. “We’re a can-do community, so we roll up our sleeves and go to work.”
Going to work for the new series came in the form of financial support for the project. Donations poured in from every sector of the community. A local car dealer donated a two-year lease on a Subaru Outback station wagon; the company’s landlord cut the rent in half as an in-kind donation; and accountant donated her time. The owners of the Maxwell House Bed & Breakfast on Main Street house a Simple Living staffer year-round. The list goes on and on.
Probably the most touching gift came when Wanda Urbanska, company president, was chatting with a friend at the local community center. The friend had recently opened a children’s resale shop. When Wanda told her that she was trying to raise $400,000 to launch a television series, her friend said, ”’I can’t give you that, but I can give you $20.’”
Now that the project is in production, the town has been just as accommodating as they were in launching the project. Merchants around town routinely donate props to the series and offer their stores as backdrops for filming.
“When I tell out-of-towners how welcoming people in Mount Airy are, they just shake their heads,” says Frank Levering, writer/producer. “It’s no coincidence that before Mount Airy was known as Mayberry, it was called the ‘Friendly City.’”
Mount Airy is nestled in a region that is known for its generosity. In addition to the local support for the project, SIMPLE LIVING WITH WANDA URBANSKA has received 19 production grants-most of them originating in the nearby cities of Winston-Salem, Greensboro, Raleigh and Charlotte, North Carolina. Additional grants have come from foundations based in New York and Connecticut.
Simple Living principals consider all our supporters passengers-on-board ‘The Little Series That Could!’